In-flight computing device for aircraft cabin crew

ABSTRACT

A system for use by cabin crew on board an aircraft, comprising a server including a database, the server being at a location remote from the aircraft. The server selectively communicates with a plurality of systems external to the system to retrieve information related to a journey to be made by the aircraft. The server runs an application for communicating with the external systems to send and receive data to and from the server. A portable computing device such as a tablet computer on board the aircraft has a database for receipt and storage of flight related information received from the server, the flight related information including seating information and other passenger related information. The portable device runs an application for real-time communication with the server during a flight or after the flight, for exchange with the server of at least one of seating and passenger related information.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an in-flight computing device for aircraftcabin crew. It also relates to the acquisition and dissemination ofjourney related data such as flight data. It is particularly concernedwith such data as is collected and utilised by cabin crew rather thanflight deck crew.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

At present documentation related to a commercial flight is stored in amixture of formats. Documentation such as crew manuals and otherinformation that might be required by the flight crew in the cockpit isstored by a portable device such as a laptop or a tablet device and isavailable to the flight crew, typically in a format such as portabledocument format (pdf). However, there remains a large amount ofpaperwork that must be completed by the cabin crew before, during andafter the flight. Once the flight has landed, this paperwork isdispatched, typically to a data processing centre in India, where theforms are processed and returned. The returned documentation may includeflight reports and reports of safety incidents and information relatedto specific passengers, for example. This approach to landing flight andpost-flight data is very cumbersome and slow and makes it difficult forairlines to react promptly to cabin service related issues and there isa need for an improved system and method for landing this type ofpassenger related flight data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention resides in a system for use by cabincrew on board an aircraft. The system includes, at a location remotefrom the aircraft, a server including a database, the server selectivelycommunicating with a plurality of systems external to the system toretrieve information related to a journey to be made by the aircraft,the server running an application for communicating with the externalsystems to send and receive data to and from the server. A portablecomputing device is provided on board the aircraft. The portablecomputing device has a database for receipt and storage of flightrelated information received from the server, the flight relatedinformation including seating information and other passenger relatedinformation. The portable device runs an application for real-timecommunication with the server during a flight for exchange with theserver of at least one of seating and passenger related informationduring the flight.

Preferably, the portable computing device is a tablet computer.

The external systems may include one or more of the following:

-   -   a source of seat maps for the flight wherein the server stores        the seats maps in the database and is configured to transmit the        seat maps to the portable computing device for storage in the        portable storage device database;    -   a source of a passenger name list for the flight wherein the        server stores the passenger name list in the database and is        configured to transmit the passenger name list to the portable        computing device for storage in the portable storage device        database;    -   a flight reservation system wherein the server stores flight        information from the reservation system in the database and is        configured to transmit the flight reservation information to the        portable computing device for storage in the portable storage        device database;    -   a source of airline loyalty information wherein the server        stores passenger loyalty related information in the database and        is configured to transmit the passenger loyalty information to        the portable computing device for storage in the portable        computing device database.    -   one or more social media websites wherein the server        communicates with the social media website to obtain information        related to passengers known to the system to have a profile on        the website.    -   an email system for communication of data received by the server        from the portable computing device during or after a flight.

The invention also resides in computerised method for cabin crew onboard an aircraft. The method comprises receiving at a portablecomputing device on board the aircraft, flight related information froma remote server. the server is remote from the aircraft and includes adatabase. The server selectively communicates with a plurality ofsystems external to the system to retrieve information related to ajourney to be made by the aircraft and stores the retrieved informationin the database. The server runs an application for communicating withthe external systems to send and receive data to and from the server andfor communicating at least some of the stored retrieved information tothe portable computing device, the flight related information receivedby the portable computing device including seating information and otherpassenger related information. The method further comprises storing thereceived flight related information at a database of the portablecomputing device. Flight related information is input into the databaseof the portable computing device during a flight in response to eventsoccurring during the flight and the portable computing devicecommunicates with the server during or after the flight to transmit theinputted flight related information from the portable communicationsdevice to the server.

Another aspect of the invention provides a portable computing device foruse by cabin crew on board an aircraft, the device configured to:receive on board an aircraft, flight related information from a remoteserver, the server being remote from the aircraft and including adatabase, the server selectively communicating with a plurality ofexternal systems to retrieve information related to a journey to be madeby the aircraft and storing the retrieved information in the database,the server running an application for communicating with the externalsystems to send and receive data to and from the server and forcommunicating at least some of the stored retrieved information to theportable computing device, the flight related information received bythe portable computing device including seating information and otherpassenger related information; store the received flight relatedinformation at a database of the portable computing device, receiveinputs of flight related information into the database of the portablecomputing device during a flight in response to events occurring duringthe flight; and communicate with the server during or after the flightto transmit the inputted flight related information from the portablecommunications device to the server.

A further aspect of the invention provides a computer-readable mediumstoring a computer program, the computer program including instructionsfor causing a portable computing device to: receive on board anaircraft, flight related information from a remote server, the serverbeing remote from the aircraft and including a database, the serverselectively communicating with a plurality of external systems toretrieve information related to a journey to be made by the aircraft andstoring the retrieved information in the database, the server running anapplication for communicating with the external systems to send andreceive data to and from the server and for communicating at least someof the stored retrieved information to the portable computing device,the flight related information received by the portable computing deviceincluding seating information and other passenger related information;store the received flight related information at a database of theportable computing device receive inputs of flight related informationinto the database of the portable computing device during a flight inresponse to events occurring during the flight; and communicate with theserver during or after the flight to transmit the inputted flightrelated information from the portable communications device to theserver.

In any of the above aspects, the portable computing device may be atablet computer.

In any of the above information, the flight related information mayinclude one or more of a seat map, passenger name record items, theflight number, departure and arrival times, a passenger name list,frequent flyer profile information and social media profiles ofpassengers.

The above aspects of the invention may further comprise synchronisingthe server database and the portable computing device database.

The above aspects of the invention may further comprise inputting intothe portable computing database, during the flight, data relating tofaults identified by cabin crew during the flight, storing the datarelating to faults and sending the data to the server during the flight.

In an embodiment of aspects of the invention the portable computingdevice may include a camera and the data relating to faults may includea photograph of an item identified as faulty. The item may be apassenger seat. The data sent to the server may be authorised bysignature, for example by a senior crew member.

In an embodiment of aspects of the invention, the flight relatedinformation received from the server may include a delayed baggagereport and associated passenger information, the method comprisinginputting passenger contact data and/or baggage identification data intothe portable computing device and sending the data to the server. Thebaggage identification data may include baggage colour and baggagestyle.

Embodiments of aspects of the invention may include inputting into theportable computing database, during the flight, data relating tocomplaints notified to cabin crew during the flight, storing the datarelating to complaints, sending the data to the server during theflight, and receiving at the portable computing device, from the server,a response to the complaint during the flight.

Preferably, the portable computing device is configured to display aseat map including passenger related information for each seat.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of exampleonly, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic overview of the interactions between componentsembodying the invention and various external data sources;

FIG. 2 illustrates the typical architecture of a system embodying theinvention and operating in a pre-flight phase;

FIG. 3 shows, schematically, the in-flight phase;

FIG. 4 shows; schematically, the post-flight phase;

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of data exchange formats that may be usedbetween the components illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence of events in a pre-flight phase ofoperations;

FIG. 7 shows a first type of passenger information that may be displayedon the handheld device in the in-flight phase of operation;

FIG. 8 shows form processing in the flight phase of operation;

FIG. 9 shows how the completed forms of FIG. 8 are handled in thepost-flight phase of operation;

FIG. 10 is a similar view to FIG. 2 showing the sequence of events inthe pre-flight phase;

FIG. 11 is a similar view of FIG. 4 showing the sequence of events inthe post-flight phase;

FIG. 12 is an end-to-end process view of the pre-flight, in-flight andpost-flight phases;

FIG. 13 is a screen shot of a display of a crew tablet device showing anoverview of the flight data relevant to the cabin crew;

FIG. 14 is a screen shot of a seat fault report form which can becompleted by the cabin crew via the crew tablet device;

FIG. 15 is a screen shot of an alternative seat defect report include aphotograph of the faulty seat;

FIG. 16 illustrates how a seat defect report may be authorised bysignature;

FIG. 17 shows the completed seat defect report with photograph andsignature;

FIG. 18 is a third screen shot showing the seat map of FIG. 15 overlaidby information related to a particular seat that has been selected bythe user.

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of a delayed baggage report; and

FIG. 20 is a screen shot of a form for identifying a delayed bag bycolour and style.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 and 2 shows a schematic overview of the components of a systemembodying the invention and the data source with which they exchangedata, either by receipt or transmission of data or both.

The system comprises a portable computing apparatus 10 which maycomprise a tablet computer or another suitable portable device such as,but not limited, to a smart phone or a laptop. In the followingdescription the embodiment will be described in the context of a tabletdevice running an open source operating system such as Android developedby the Open Handset Alliance. Other operating systems may be used aspreferred by the system provider. The tablet device runs a cabin crewsoftware application features of which will be described and which isreferred to hereafter as CrewTab. The term Cabin Crew Application merelyrefers to a software application running on the tablet which is suitablefor use by, and intended for use by, one or more member of an aircraftcabin crew. Although the embodiment is described with respect to asimple tablet device, a plurality of tablet devices may be used with thenumber being dependent on the number of crew serving on the aircraft.

The tablet devices running the CrewTab Application communicate with aremote server running a web-based application 12 referred to hereafteras CrewApp. The tablet and CrewTab application provide a user interfacepermitting crew interaction with the system and the server running theCrewApp application providing interfaces with external componentsproviding communication and data exchanges required with externalinformation sources. Thus, in FIG. 1, data is exchanged bilaterallybetween CrewTab 10 and CrewApp 12. CrewApp 12 communicates to receivedata from a source of seat map information 14, which is typically acomputer or database controlled by the same airline, a flightreservation system 16, a passenger loyalty system 18, a departurecontrol system 20, and one or more social media platforms 22 such asFacebook® or LinkedIn®. The CrewApp 12 can also send data via an emailinterface 24. Each of these external information sources comprises acomputer or a database which stores information.

The operation of the system may be divided into three phases:pre-flight, in-flight and post-fight. Each of these will now bedescribed.

Pre-Flight Phase

This phase is illustrated schematically in FIG. 2 in which the externaldata sources referred to with respect to FIG. 1 are referenced by thesame numerals. During the pre-flight phase the system is initialisedwith data obtained by the CrewApp 12 from the external data sources viaa web services interface 28. As the system is not required to have realtime data access, an intermediary database 26 is provided to store datareceived from the external data sources before it is synchronised to theCrewTab application running on the tablet device. Thus, the database 26is a part of the server side of the system and may be physically part ofthe server computer or cluster of server computers.

The pre-flight process may be initiated programmatically at apre-determined time before flight departure, or manually from the tabletdevice via the CrewTab application. As seen in FIG. 2, the CrewAppapplication communicates with the remote data sources via a web serviceapplication 28 described below and with the CrewTab application 10 via amobile communication or Wi-fi connection 30 to be described.

In-Flight Phase

During the flight phase, the CrewTab application may be disconnectedfrom the CrewApp application and may involve only the tablet devicewhich may be used only by the cabin crew manager, a designated person,or by multiple crew members if multiple devices are in use.

The tablet device stores, in an on-board database 32 shown in FIG. 3,passenger information and seat displays which are available for usein-flight, as well as some or all of the forms that cabin crew mustcomplete during a flight. The Tablet and CrewTab 12 also allows crew toenter notes on passengers or other items which notes call be processedafter the flight.

Post-Flight Phase

During the post-flight phase passenger and other data gathered in-fightis transferred to a repository for subsequent interrogation. Thecompleted forms are sent by email of other electronic communication totheir intended destination. This phase is illustrated in FIG. 4 whichshows how data is transferred from the tablet to the CrewApp application12 from where it is transferred to an archive 34 via the CrewAppdatabase 26.

FIG. 5 shows the data exchange formats which may be used, although otherformats may be used if desired. As shown in FIG. 5, the data isexchanged with the external data sources in XML format whereas data isexchanged between CrewApp and CrewTab in JSON format. JSON (JavaScriptObject Notation) is a lightweight data exchange format based on a subsetof JavaScript Programming Language, Standard ECMA-262 3^(rd) Edition.

The web services 28 (FIG. 2) may be implemented using therepresentational state transfer standard JSR-311 otherwise known as REST(REpresentational Store Transfer) web services or JAX-RS. The Jerseyframework may be used as a reference implementation of JAX-RS tomanipulate data elements.

The server may use Apache Tomcat as an open source web server, or anyother suitable web server. The web server may implement the followingweb services illustrated in FIG. 2 to provide the necessary data for thesystem:

-   -   SyncCrewTab—this service synchronises the data from the CrewApp        database 26 with the data in the CrewTab database. All data        required for the CrewTab application is maintained in the        CrewTab database 32 which is an SQlite database in this example.    -   SyncCrewTab—this service synchronises the data from the CrewTab        database with that in the Crew App database.    -   GetSeatMap—this service communicates with the seat maps data        source 14 to retrieve the seat map for the flight.    -   Get PNL—this service communicates with the DCS source 20 to        retrieve the passenger name list from the departure control        system.    -   Get Flight Info—this service obtains flight information        including flight number, departure and arrival times from the        reservation system 16    -   Get PNR—this service obtains the passenger name record items        from the reservation system 16.    -   GetLoyaltyProfile—the service obtains frequent flyer profile        information for the passengers on board the flight from a        loyalty system 18 such as ePiphany®.    -   GetLinkedlnProfile—this service obtains information from a        social media site such as LinkedIn or Facebook for those        passengers that can be uniquely identified with a known profile        on that social media website.    -   SendMail—this service enables post-flight data to be emailed        with attachments if required.

Still referring to FIG. 5, the system may use the following externalsystems. The following is purely exemplary and other providers may bechosen. The departure control system and the reservation system may bethe Amadeus system provided by Amadeus IT Group SA. The loyalty programis airline or airline group specific and will be provided by the airlinewhose crew are using the system. The social media website may be any ofa number of well known social media websites, for example, LinkedIn,Plaxo or Facebook. These websites are accessed through HTTP sessions.

In addition to these external systems, seat maps and CrewApp eachcomprise a set of database tables containing, respectively, the seat mapinventory and the operational data required for the CrewTab application.Each may be accessed by a JDBC connection and SQL query.

The CrewTab tablet application may use any suitable operating system.Android® provided by Google Inc. is one presently preferred platform.Data transmitted to and from the CrewTab application may be in JSON(JavaScript Object Notation) format.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pre-flight phase process will now be described.

The pre-flight phase begins when the Cabin Crew Manager or otherpersonnel starts the application from the tablet User Interface (UI) orat a predetermined time based on the scheduled time of departure offlights. The CrewApp application starts a workflow that results in alldata necessary for the application being gathered and loaded into theCrewApp database.

A CrewTab database houses the data required to satisfy the dataprerequisites of the system. The database is a subset of the CrewAppdatabase and is the source of data for the CrewTab application,including seat map information, passenger information and flightinformation.

In FIG. 6, the steps labelled 1 to 4 are as follows:

-   -   1. The CrewTab application is started by the cabin crew manager.    -   2. The CrewTab local database is prepared.    -   3. The CrewApp web service SyncCrewTab is invoked to initiate        the flow of events required to populate the CrewTab database.    -   4. The CrewTab local database is synchronised with the CrewApp        database and the data required for the pre-flight and in-flight        phases is now available for use by other parts of the CrewTab        application.

The in-flight phase may be an offline utilisation of the data gatheredduring the pre-flight phase. The Android tablet may be out ofcommunication range once the fight has departed and is airborne;therefore, the only data source available is the local database.

The CrewTab application will be able to display seat map, passenger andflight information from the data present in the local database. TheCrewTag UI allows presentation of this information in various formatse.g. as a seat map display, as a passenger info popup or as flightinformation populated onto the screen real estate.

In addition to displaying the seat, passenger and flight information andcabin crew manager or other operator, may enter data into forms madeavailable through the CrewTab application. The forms are electronicrepresentations of paper-based versions.

FIG. 7 shows a seat map and passenger display, the in-flight processincluding steps 1 to 3 as follows:

-   -   1. The CrewTab application is accessed.    -   2. The CrewTab application interrogates the local database to        obtain data.    -   3. The CrewTab application displays the information.

FIG. 8 shows how the CrewTab application may be used for formprocessing. Again this involves three steps 1 to 3 as follows:

-   -   1. The CrewTab application is accessed.    -   2. A form is displayed and information is entered.    -   3. The form data is saved to the local database for subsequent        processing.

In the post-flight phase the contents of the CrewTab tablet localdatabase are synchronised with the CrewApp database for post-flightprocessing of data gathered in-flight. The cabin crew manager or otheruser starts this procedure by selecting an option on the CrewTab UI. Orthis process can be triggered automatically when the Android tabletdetects an internet connection and gets back online.

The CrewTab application sends data to the CrewApp application using theSyncCrewTab web service with indicators set to identify this as thepost-flight phase.

Any forms which have been completed are emailed to specific destinationfor subsequent processing. This process is shown as steps 1 to 4 in FIG.9 as follows:

-   -   1. The CrewTab post-flight option is selected by the cabin crew        manager.    -   2. The CrewTab local database is read and data is formatted for        transmission.    -   3. The CrewApp web service SyncCrewTab is invoked to receive the        data.    -   4. The CrewApp database is populated with post-flight        information.

CrewApp Web Application

The CrewApp web application provides a REST web service interface forinteraction with the CrewTab application. Data transmitted between theCrewApp and CrewTab applications may be in JSON format, whilst dataexchange between the CrewApp and other web services may be in XML. RESTtype web services provide the interface to the data source systems andthe Jersey implementation of JAX-RS may be used for data manipulation.

Pre-Flight Phase

In the pre-flight phase the data required for the application isaggregated and delivered to the CrewTab application. The CrewAppapplication is invoked by the receipt of a request for the SyncCrewTabweb service.

The CrewApp co-ordinates the gathering of information from the disparatedata sources and stores the results in the database. When all necessarydata is obtained and contained in the database the CrewApp sends thedata to the CrewTab application for use in the next phases ofapplication.

The information includes the following although this information isexemplary only; other information may be gathered and same or all of theinformation listed below may not be included:

-   -   Seat map information—sourced from a database of seat maps and        tail numbers, being a unique identifier of the aircraft to which        the seat relates.    -   Passenger information—sourced from departure control,        reservations, loyalty and social media systems.    -   Flight information—sourced from the reservations system.    -   Baggage Information—sourced from SITA Worldtracer and/or SITA        Bag Journey

The process flow is shown in FIG. 10, in which the numbered steps are asfollows:

-   -   1. The CrewApp application is invoked by receipt of a request        for the SyncCrewTab web service, or pre-determined trigger based        on flight departure time.    -   2. The CrewApp database tables are prepared for the flight.    -   3. The CrewApp application invokes a series of web services to        obtain the data necessary for the CrewTab application.    -   4. The data sources are interrogated and return requested data        for the flight.    -   5. The CrewApp database is updated with the obtained data.    -   6. The CrewTab application receives data as a response to the        SyncCrewTab web service request.        In-Flight Phase

During the flight, the CrewApp can communicate with the CrewTabapplication if the CrewTab is being used on a ‘connected flight’. Aconnected flight is a flight where there is an Internet connectionavailable.

Post-Flight Phase

The post-flight phase is initiated by the receipt of a request for theSyncCrewTab web service with indicators set to identify the post-flightphase.

Data is received as part of the web service request and is written onthe CrewApp database. The data is passenger information and completeforms which have been gathered by the CrewData application in-flightphase.

The forms will be emailed or otherwise transmitted to a configured emailaddress for human workflow processes and the passenger data will bearchived thus leaving it available for processing by other systems.

FIG. 11 shows depicts the post-flight flow of events.

The process steps are as follows:

-   -   1. The CrewTab post-flight action is initiated by the cabin crew        manager or other designated person.    -   2. The CrewApp database is updated with the data gathered        in-flight. This data includes updated passenger information and        completed forms.    -   3. An email or other electronic communication with a completed        form attached, is sent to a designated email address using the        Send/Mail web service.    -   4. The email is delivered.    -   5. The CrewApp database is archived.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart that shows the complete end-end process flowthat has been described above.

At step 100, the CrewTab application pre-flight action is initiated bythe cabin crew manager. The CrewTab local database tables are preparedat step 102 and the CrewApp web service SyncCrewTab is invoked at step104 to initiate the flow of events required to populate the CrewAppdatabase. At step 106, the CrewApp database tables are prepared for theflight and at step 108 the CrewApp invokes web services to obtain thedata necessary to populate the CrewApp database for the flight. Theworkflow and event processing is managed by the CrewApp application.Data parsing, transformation and aggregation is handled in this step.

Participating systems such as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 contributedata, via a web service interface, to the CrewApp application at step110. The CrewApp database is populated at step 112 with flight data,seat maps and passenger information relevant to the flight and aresponse is sent to the CrewTab application at step 114. The CrewTablocal database is synchronised with the CrewApp database at step 116 andthe data required for the pre-flight and in-flight phases is nowavailable locally at the tablet for use by other parts of the CrewTabapplication.

During a flight the CrewTab application is accessed at step 118 andinterrogates the local database to obtain data at step 120. The CrewTabapplication displays the data retrieved from the database at step 122.The post-flight action is initiated by the cabin crew manager at step124 and the CrewApp database is updated with the data gathered in-flightat step 128. An email, with a completed form attached, is sent using theSendMail web service and delivered to the recipient at step 128.Finally, the CrewApp database is archived and the information isavailable for use by other applications.

The embodiment described illustrates how flight related data may beprovided to cabin crew and in-flight data may be stored and synchronisedwith a central database post-flight. Relevant flight related data maythen be sent electronically as part of a required flight report.

FIGS. 13 to 15 show examples of the displays that the CrewTabapplication presents to the cabin crew user. FIG. 13 is a generaloverview screen which displays flight related information. This screenshot is taken during the flight and shows, at 200, 210 the origin anddestination airports and their local weather conditions and the take-offand landing times. The flight is identified at the top of the screentogether with the date and the aircraft type. In this case the flight ison 4 March, flight MH0004 from Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow on anAirbus 380.

On the left hand side of the display is a series of menus. The first 220and enables the crew member to view passengers who have checked in,children on board, special meals that have been ordered by passengers,special services that are required, for example assistance with disabledpassengers, loyalty members who are on board and VIP members on board.Beneath that is a menu item 230 labelled forms which gives the crewmember access to various forms that can be submitted during and afterthe flight and examples of which are described below.

Menu item 240 gives the crew access to various user manuals that wouldotherwise have to be stored as hard copies and menu item 250 givesaccess to information about other crew members on board.

The central panel displays details of the number of passengers that havechecked into the flight and divides these between first, business andstandard economy classes. In the example shown there are 0 passengers infirst class, 18 in business class and 185 in economy class. Alsodisplayed is the maximum capacity of the aircraft in this configuration:8 first class seats, 64 business class and 415 economy seats.

Below the passenger loading information 270 is a listing of passengers280 against whom remarks have been stored in the system and their seats.In this case four such passengers are shown but this number may vary anda scroll bar may be used if necessary. The main display indicate thegeneral nature of the remark, as shown all passengers listed are seniorloyalty members. Each passenger record can be accessed individually toobtain more information.

FIG. 13 is an overview screen. FIG. 14 shows a screen which may be usedfor fault reporting. The cabin crew member uses this screen to enterdata during the flight or shortly after landing. The data is thentransferred back to the CrewApp application as described previously.Thus FIG. 14 also shows flight details and progress but is specific to aselected seat, in this case seat 34B. The crew member can input ameasure of the urgency of the problem in panel 300, here shown asbetween one and five stars and a description of the problem in textpanel 310. In this case the problem is shown as a broken video screen. Acheck box 320 is provided which indicates whether the passenger wascompensated for the problem and a further text panel 330 is provided forthe cabin crew to enter the nature of the compensation, if any. In thiscase the customer is shown as having been compensated with 100 ‘enrichmiles’. On selecting the ‘submit’ button 340 the data input by the cabincrew member is stored in the tablet's CrewTab database ready to betransferred to the CrewApp database on landing.

FIG. 15 shows an alternative fault reporting screen. In this case thetablet includes a camera and the cabin crew member uses the camera totake a photograph of the damaged seat to attach to the report. FIG. 15show a preview screen which the crew member can inspect to assesswhether it identifies the damage adequately and, if necessary retake thephoto. FIG. 16 shows how the damage report may be authorised by anappropriate signature on board, in the case of a tablet or other devicewith a touch sensitive display. In the case of a seat fault report theauthorisation will be from the captain or other designated seniorpersonnel. However, a similar approach may be used to authenticatepassenger complaint forms, in which case the passenger may sign.

FIG. 17 shows the completed form which identifies the seat, the damagesuffered and attaches a photograph of the damage and an automation. Thismay be then sent by the CrewTab application when the flight lands or, asdescribed below, during the flight.

FIG. 18 shows a seat map 400 for the whole aircraft which the cabin crewmember can scroll through and select individual seats using theparticular methods and protocols specific to the tablet being used. Inthis instance seat 3D has been selected and information relating to thepassenger assigned to that seat is displayed in a panel 410. This panelshows the name of the passenger his or her status with the airline'sreward scheme, passport details and email addresses. It also shows thenumber of bags the passenger has checked in.

At the bottom of the panel is an alert area 420 which displays importantinformation for example, special assistance or dietary requirements.Above is a notes area 430 into which the cabin crew can enter notesrelating to the passenger.

The system described may also be used to handle passenger complaints. Atpresent, if a passenger raises a complaint on board a flight, the cabinmanager is required to fill out a complaint form. The complaint may berelated to any aspect of the passenger's experience, such as the levelof service, delays, cabin crew performance etc. The completed form issent to the airline's head office when the plane returns to the headoffice airport and then sent to the customer service department who willconsider the complaint and make the appropriate response, which may bean apology or some sort of compensation. This may take place severaldays after the flight and location of the passenger may not bestraightforward. The customer service department may only hold sketchydetails of the passenger, such as frequent flyer account details and thepassenger may be travelling away from home when the complaint ishandled.

Embodiments of the present invention enable the complaint to be loggedin the CrewTab database as soon as it is received in-flight. The CrewTabcontains all relevant data about the passenger and the complaint can betransferred electronically as soon as the flight lands. Upon receipt thecustomer services department can assess the complaint and communicatewith the passenger in real time, before the passenger has left theairport. The complaint form may be accessed through the forms menu 230and processed in a manner similar to that described for the seat defectreport and be authenticated by the signature either of the passenger ora crew member, depending on the nature of the complaint.

In the embodiments described, the CrewTab application disconnects fromthe server and the CrewApp application during the in-flight phase. Whenthe flight lands, the CrewTab reconnects and transfers data to CrewAppas described. In an alternative embodiment the CrewTab remains connectedto CrewApp during the in-flight phase. This requires some kind of inflight internet access, for example Wi-Fi, to be available during theflight. This is already possible on some airlines and likely to becomemore common in the future. Thus, the complaint logging process describedabove could be transmitted in real time enabling a response to bereceived, from the airlines head office while a flight is still inprogress, giving the passenger the satisfaction of having theircomplaint resolved while the flight is still in progress. Moreover, theseat damage report may be transmitted in flight so that engineers andground staff at the destination airport are aware of the damage and canbe ready to fix it in the turnaround time available for the flight. Thisis most advantageous as it allows damage to be fixed extremely quicklyafter detection and ensures that the inconvenience to a passenger is notcarried over to future passengers using the same seat.

In a further embodiment, on-line in-flight the system described may beused to aid baggage handling. As shown in FIG. 18, the panel 410 whichidentifies a customer by seat includes an icon indicating the number ofchecked bags. In the case of a passenger catching a connecting flight,it is possible to use the system to notify the passenger of any baggagerelated delays that are anticipated and to enable remedial action to betaken to maximise the chance of a bag making a connecting flight. FIGS.19 and 20 show a delayed baggage reporting process. In the case that abag does not make it onto the flight, the origin airport will issue adelayed baggage report and the bags will typically be sent out on thenext available flight. This report can be sent to the CrewTabapplication once the flight has closed and there is no longer apossibility of the bags making the flight. The CrewApp application canassociate the baggage report with the passenger and send the associatedbaggage report to the CrewTab application. As has already been seen fromFIG. 18, the CrewTab application already has details of the number ofchecked bags. The report delayed baggage form of FIG. 19 is populatedwith information about the passenger with whom the bags are associated.This population may be done automatically by the system if it has thatinformation stored. Alternatively it can be input by the passenger atthe request of a cabin crew member. Importantly this will includecontact details for the passenger, such as address and phone number sothat the bags can be delivered on arrival. To aid identification of themissing bags, FIG. 20 shows how identification details of the bags maybe entered such as the colour and style of the bag, so aiding visualrecognition of the bag when it arrives at the destination airport. Inthe example of FIG. 20 the first checked bag has been identified as blueupright design.

Various modifications to the embodiments described are possible and willoccur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope ofthe invention which is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for use by cabin crew on board anaircraft, comprising: at a location remote from the aircraft, a serverincluding a database, the server selectively communicating with aplurality of systems external to the server and external to the aircraftto retrieve information related to a flight to be made by the aircraft,the server running an application for communicating with the externalsystems to send and receive data to and from the server, wherein theexternal systems include a source of a passenger name list for theflight and the server stores the passenger name list in the database andthe server is configured to transmit the passenger name list to aportable computing device for storage in the portable storage devicedatabase; and the portable computing device on board the aircraft, theportable computing device having a portable storage device database forreceipt and storage of flight related information received from theserver during the flight, wherein at least a portion of the flightrelated information originates from the plurality of external systems,the flight related information including seating information and otherpassenger related information, the portable device running anapplication for real-time communication directly with the server in JSONformat during the flight via a WiFi connection for a two-way exchangebetween the server and the portable device of at least one of seatingand passenger related information during the flight, the applicationenabling inputting, during flights, of data relating to faultsidentified by cabin crew, the portable device storing the input faultdata at the portable storage device database and sending the fault datato the server during the flight.
 2. A system according to claim 1,wherein the portable computing device is a tablet computer.
 3. A systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the external systems include a source ofseat maps for the flight and the server stores the seats maps in thedatabase and is configured to transmit the seat maps to the portablecomputing device for storage in the portable storage device database. 4.A system according to claim 3, wherein the external systems include aflight reservation system and the server stores flight information fromthe reservation system in the database and is configured to transmit theflight reservation information to the portable computing device forstorage in the portable storage device database.
 5. A system accordingto claim 4, wherein the external systems include a source of airlineloyalty information and the server stores passenger loyalty relatedinformation in the database and is configured to transmit the passengerloyalty information to the portable computing device for storage in theportable computing device database.
 6. A system according to claim 5,wherein the external systems include a source of baggage information andthe server stores passenger related baggage status information in thedatabase and is configured to transmit the passenger baggage statusinformation to the portable computing device for storage in the portablecomputing device database.
 7. A system according to claim 6, wherein theexternal systems include one or more social media websites and theserver communicates with the social media website to obtain informationrelated to passengers known to the system to have a profile on thewebsite.
 8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the external systemsinclude an email system for communication of data received by the serverfrom the portable computing device during or after the flight.
 9. Acomputerized method for cabin crew on board an aircraft, comprising:receiving at a portable computing device on board the aircraft, flightrelated information from a remote server, wherein at least a portion ofthe flight related information originates from a plurality of systemsexternal to the server and external to the aircraft, the server beingremote from the aircraft and including a database, the serverselectively communicating with the plurality of systems external to theserver and external to the aircraft to retrieve information related to aflight to be made by the aircraft and to store the retrieved informationin the database, the server running an application for communicatingwith the external systems to send and receive data to and from theserver and for communicating at least some of the stored retrievedinformation to the portable computing device, the flight relatedinformation received by the portable computing device in-flight andincluding seating information and other passenger related information;storing the received flight related information at a local database ofthe portable computing device; inputting flight related information intothe local database of the portable computing device during the flight inresponse to events occurring during the flight, the information inputincluding data related to faults identified by cabin crew; storing theinput fault data; and exchanging information directly with the servervia a WiFi connection during the flight to transmit the inputted flightrelated information including the fault data from the portablecommunications device to the server.
 10. A method according to claim 9,wherein the portable computing device is a tablet computer.
 11. A methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the flight related information includes aseat map.
 12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the flight relatedinformation includes passenger name record items.
 13. A method accordingto claim 12, wherein the flight related information includes the flightnumber, departure and arrival times.
 14. A method according to claim 13,wherein the flight related information includes a passenger name list.15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the flight relatedinformation includes baggage status information.
 16. A method accordingto claim 15, wherein the flight related information includes frequentflyer profile information.
 17. A method according to claim 16, whereinthe flight related information includes social media profiles ofpassengers.
 18. A method according to claim 17, comprising synchronizingthe server database and the local database of the portable computingdevice.
 19. A method according to claim 9, wherein the portablecomputing device includes a camera and the data relating to faultsincludes a photograph of an item identified as faulty.
 20. A methodaccording to claim 19, wherein the item is a passenger seat.
 21. Amethod according to claim 20, wherein the data sent to the server isauthorized by signature.
 22. A method according to claim 21, wherein theflight related information received from the server includes a delayedbaggage report and associated passenger information, the methodcomprising inputting passenger contact data and/or baggageidentification data into the portable computing device and sending thedata to the server.
 23. A method according to claim 22, wherein thebaggage identification data includes baggage color and baggage style.24. A method according to claim 23, comprising inputting into the localdatabase of the portable computing device, during the flight, datarelating to complaints notified to cabin crew during the flight, storingthe data relating to complaints at the local database of the portablecomputing device, sending the data to the server during the flight, andreceiving at the portable computing device, from the server, a responseto the complaint during the flight.
 25. A method according to claim 24,wherein the portable computing device is configured to display a seatmap including passenger related information for each seat.
 26. Aportable computing device for use by cabin crew on board an aircraft,the device configured to: receive on board an aircraft during a flight,flight related information from a remote server, wherein at least aportion of the flight related information originates from a plurality ofsystems external to the server and external to the aircraft, the serverbeing remote from the aircraft and including a database, the serverselectively communicating with the plurality of external systems toretrieve information related to the flight to be made by the aircraftand storing the retrieved information in the database, the serverrunning an application for communicating with the external systems tosend and receive data to and from the server and for communicating atleast some of the stored retrieved information to the portable computingdevice, the flight related information received by the portablecomputing device including seating information and other passengerrelated information; store the received flight related information at alocal database of the portable computing device; receive inputs offlight related information into the local database of the portablecomputing device during the flight in response to events occurringduring the flight, the inputs including data related to faultsidentified by cabin crew; store the input fault data; and exchangeinformation directly with the server via a WiFi connection during theflight to transmit the inputted flight related information including thefault data from the portable communications device to the server,wherein the plurality of external systems are external to the aircraft.27. A portable computing device according to claim 26, wherein theportable computing device is a tablet computer.
 28. A portable computingdevice according to claim 26, wherein the flight related informationincludes a seat map.
 29. A portable computing device according to claim28, wherein the flight related information includes passenger namerecord items.
 30. A portable computing device according to claim 29,wherein the flight related information includes the flight number,departure and arrival times.
 31. A portable computing device accordingto claim 30, wherein the flight related information includes a passengername list.
 32. A portable computing device according to claim 31,wherein the flight related information includes baggage statusinformation.
 33. A portable computing device according to claim 32,wherein the flight related information includes frequent flyer profileinformation.
 34. A portable computing device according to claim 33,wherein the flight related information includes social media profiles ofpassengers.
 35. A portable computing device according to claim 34,wherein the device is configured to synchronize the local database ofthe portable computing device with the server database.
 36. A portablecomputing device according to claim 26, wherein the portable computingdevice includes a camera and the data relating to faults includes aphotograph of an item identified as faulty.
 37. A portable computingdevice according to claim 36, wherein the item is a passenger seat. 38.A portable computing device according to claim 37, wherein the data sentto the server is authorized by signature.
 39. A portable computingdevice according to claim 38, wherein the flight related informationreceived from the server includes a delayed baggage report andassociated passenger information, the device being configured to receiveinputs of passenger contact data and/or baggage identification data intothe portable computing device and to send the data to the server.
 40. Aportable computing device according to claim 39, wherein the baggageidentification data includes baggage color and baggage style.
 41. Aportable computing device according to claim 40, wherein the device isconfigured to receive inputs into the local database of the portablecomputing device, during the flight, of data relating to complaintsnotified to cabin crew during the flight, to store the data relating tocomplaints, to send the data to the server during the flight, and toreceive at the portable computing device, from the server, a response tothe complaint during the flight.
 42. A portable computing deviceaccording to claim 41, wherein the portable computing device isconfigured to display a seat map including passenger related informationfor each seat.
 43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing acomputer program, the computer program including instructions forcausing a portable computing device to: receive on board an aircraftduring a flight, flight related information from a remote server,wherein at least a portion of the flight related information originatesfrom a plurality of external systems, the server being remote from theaircraft and including a database, the server selectively communicatingwith the plurality of external systems to retrieve information relatedto the flight to be made by the aircraft and storing the retrievedinformation in the database, the server running an application forcommunicating with the external systems to send and receive data to andfrom the server and for communicating at least some of the storedretrieved information to the portable computing device, the flightrelated information received by the portable computing device includingseating information and other passenger related information; store thereceived flight related information at a local database of the portablecomputing device; receive inputs of flight related information into thedatabase of the portable computing device during the flight in responseto events occurring during the flight, including data related to faultsidentified by cabin crew; store the input fault data at the localdatabase of the portable computing device; and exchange informationdirectly with the server via a WiFi connection during the flight totransmit the inputted flight related information including the faultdata from the portable communications device to the server, wherein theplurality of external systems are external to the server and external tothe aircraft.
 44. A system for use by cabin crew on board an aircraft,comprising: at a location remote from the aircraft, a server including adatabase, the server selectively communicating with a plurality ofsystems external to the server and external to the aircraft to retrieveinformation related to a flight to be made by the aircraft, the externalsystems including a baggage system, the server running an applicationfor communicating with the external systems to send and receive data toand from the server, the server storing flight related informationincluding passenger related baggage status information; and a portablecomputing device on board the aircraft, the portable computing devicehaving a local database of the portable computing device for receipt andstorage of flight related information received from the server duringthe flight, wherein at least a portion of the received flight relatedinformation originates from the external systems, the flight relatedinformation including seating information the passenger related baggagestatus information and other passenger related information, the portabledevice running an application for real-time communication with theserver during the flight via a WiFi connection for a two-way exchangebetween the server and the portable computing device of the passengerrelated baggage status information and at least one of seating andpassenger related information during the flight.
 45. A computerizedmethod for cabin crew on board an aircraft, comprising: receiving at aportable computing device on board the aircraft during a flight, flightrelated information from a remote server, wherein at least a portion ofthe flight related information originates from a plurality of systemsexternal to the server and external to the aircraft, the server beingremote from the aircraft and including a database, the serverselectively communicating with the plurality of systems external to theserver and external to the aircraft to retrieve information related tothe flight to be made by the aircraft and to store the retrievedinformation in the database, the server running an application forcommunicating with the external systems to send and receive data to andfrom the server and for communicating at least some of the storedretrieved information to the portable computing device, the externalsystems including a baggage system, the flight related informationreceived by the portable computing device including seating information,passenger related baggage status information, and other passengerrelated information; storing the received flight related informationincluding passenger related baggage status information at a localdatabase of the portable computing device; inputting flight relatedinformation into the local database of the portable computing deviceduring a flight in response to events occurring during the flight; andexchanging information directly with the server via a WiFi connectionduring the flight to transmit the inputted flight related informationincluding the passenger related baggage status information between theportable communications device and the server.
 46. A portable computingdevice for use by cabin crew on board an aircraft, the device configuredto: receive on board an aircraft during a flight, flight relatedinformation from a remote server, wherein at least a portion of theflight related information originates from a plurality of externalsystems, the server being remote from the aircraft and including adatabase, the server selectively communicating with the plurality ofexternal systems to retrieve information related to the flight to bemade by the aircraft and storing the retrieved information in thedatabase, the server running an application for communicating with theexternal systems to send and receive data to and from the server and forcommunicating at least some of the stored retrieved information to theportable computing device, the external systems including a baggagesystem, the flight related information received by the portablecomputing device including, passenger related baggage statusinformation, seating information and other passenger relatedinformation; store the received flight related information at a localdatabase of the portable computing device; receive inputs of flightrelated information into the local database of the portable computingdevice during the flight in response to events occurring during theflight; and exchange information directly with the server during theflight via a WiFi connection to transmit the inputted flight relatedinformation including passenger related baggage status informationbetween the portable communications device and the server, wherein theplurality of external systems are external to the server and external tothe aircraft.
 47. A portable computing device for use by cabin crew onboard an aircraft, the device configured to: receive on board anaircraft during a flight, flight related information from a remoteserver in a JSON format, wherein at least a portion of the flightrelated information originates from a plurality of systems external tothe server and external to the aircraft, the server being remote fromthe aircraft and including a database, the server selectivelycommunicating with the plurality of systems external to the server andexternal to the aircraft, to retrieve information related to the flightto be made by the aircraft, the information including a passenger namelist for the flight, and storing the retrieved information in thedatabase, the server running an application for communicating with theexternal systems to send and receive data to and from the server and forcommunicating at least some of the stored retrieved information to theportable computing device, the flight related information received bythe portable computing device including seating information, frequentflyer profile information, a delayed baggage report and associatedpassenger information, the device being configured to receive inputs ofpassenger contact data and/or baggage identification data into theportable computing device and to send the data to the server; store thereceived flight related information at a local database of the portablecomputing device; receive inputs of flight related information into thelocal database of the portable computing device during the flight inresponse to events occurring during the flight, the inputs includingdata related to faults identified by cabin crew; store the input faultdata; and exchange information directly with the server via a WiFiconnection during the flight to transmit the inputted flight relatedinformation including the fault data from the portable communicationsdevice to the server.